Hi, I’m Sarai Monk.
My passion is in understanding what it means to be human. How we’re wounded, how we heal, how we thrive. My mission is to help as many people as possible to heal their wounds, build resilience and make the most of their lives.
It’s all about getting to the root of the problem to create long-lasting change.
My therapeutic approaches:
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
I’ve spent the past 20 years studying the mind body link, starting in the late 90s in London with yoga, meditation and bodywork. I travelled the world learning from the experts in India, Asia, America, Europe, and Australasia.
I started teaching yoga in 2002 and experienced incredible emotional and psychological progress both personally and with my students. But there was always a sticking point when it came to trauma.
So in 2011, based in London, I dived into training in psychodynamic psychotherapy and evidence-based psychological approaches. Psychoanalysis involves painful and arduous inner work, but its transformative results were clear.
As a psychotherapist I’ve been able to help patients work through the darkest parts of themselves and their lives, to make life-changing progress. But with talking therapy alone (like yoga alone), trauma needed more.
I realised that both modalities offered something fundamental to healing and growth.
Connecting mind and body
I started to wonder whether the limitations I was seeing in psychodynamic psychotherapy and with yoga and mindful movement might be something to do with the intersection between the mind and body. I started to think: what if the mind “stuff” could be connected with the body “stuff” while working through traumas in therapy?
Healing from trauma
The intersection I started working with was in the building of internal bridges between:
the mind
the conscious and unconscious dynamics, and
the bodily responses, nervous system, and somatic fragments/experiences.
This way of working has meant that I’ve been able to help people who have been stuck, to make long-lasting changes.
“Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” - Lao Tzu
WHY WORK WITH ME?
My extensive experience means I tailor therapy to your specific needs, creating a safe place that is free of judgment, where we can work collaboratively on the problems you’re seeking help with.
I’ve had the privilege of working with a diverse range of people of different ages, ethnicities and gender identities. I’m able to meet you where you’re at. Whether you’re a student, a professional, a new parent, or struggling with midlife/menopause or entering into your twilight years.
I’ve previously worked as a psychodynamic psychotherapist in various NHS settings in North London, including the Trauma Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Most recently I worked as a staff counsellor supporting Trust staff through the Covid pandemic at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, across two West London sites (St Mary’s and Charing Cross Hospitals).
